Lizzie’s achievement is 100 per cent hers, says Brailsford

The 23-year-old from Otley claimed silver in a thrilling climax to the women’s road race along The Mall yesterday.

Marianne Vos of the Netherlands snatched gold in a sprint finish, but it was the guts that Armitstead displayed in committing to a breakaway of four riders on the second descent of Box Hill that so impressed Brailsford.

“Lizzie showed tremendous inititiative and that was a silver medal won, not a gold medal lost. It was a fantastic performance,” said Brailsford. “When you’re in a race like that you need guts to go with the break and then commit to it because once you commit you’re not going to win if the breakaway comes back to the peloton.

“So you could potentially lose if you don’t carry it through, so to commit to that early doors tells you what Lizzie is all about.

“She’s got courage, she’s very, very fearless and she’s got her reward.”

Despite the disappointment 24 hours earlier of the home team’s failure to steer Mark Cavendish to victory in the men’s road race, this was another feather in the cap of British cycling.

Kings of the track in Beijing, they were also winners of the gold medal in the road race four years ago when Armitstead’s team-mate yesterday, Nicole Cooke, triumphed on the Great Wall of China. Just last week, Brailsford’s Team Sky helped Bradley Wiggins become the first British winner of the the Tour de France. But Brailsford yesterday refused to let the flourishing British system take the credit for Armitstead’s victory.

He said: “Take nothing away from Lizzie, she’s worked hard, she’s been willing to go and live abroad, she’s done a lot on her own and she’s had to use her own initiative.

“It’s easy in these situations to look at the programme of British cycling and try and give that some credit, but that result (yesterday) was 100 per cent down to Lizzie Armitstead. It was 100 per cent hers, she should enjoy the moment and she should be very proud and full credit to her.

“That was a thrilling, truly outstanding performance.

“A lot of the time a performance like that will give you a lot of self-belief, and I think for Lizzie that will be a breakthrough performance.

“A silver medal at the Olympics – how do you build on that?”

Life will change radically for Armitstead after she delivered a belated first medal to an expectant country, but Brailsford believes the same attributes that served her well on yesterday’s 140km course in the teeming rain, will stand her in good stead.

Brailsford said: “Lizzie is bubbly, tenacious, dogged, professional and determined.

“And she’s fast. On the track she demonstrated her speed with some very good performances, but she decided to commit to the road with the Olympic Games in mind and what a good decision that was. You don’t win a silver medal in an Olympic Games without being able to handle pressure. She deserves all the credit and publicity she gets, and good luck to her. She’s made Britain very proud.”